That's What Jenni Said

We have two adorable dogs.  Julia is almost eight years old. A beagle-Cattle Dog mix, we adopted her from our local animal shelter when she was almost a year old. When we first brought her home, she was friendly to strangers and other dogs but within a few months of living with us she became much more defensive and distrustful of both. Jolene is just a year and a half. She’s a Pomeranian-Corgi mix and just like Julia she has transformed from a friendly-to-everyone pup to a more aggressive and defensive dog. While both dogs understand some rudimentary commands like sit, stay, and shake paw, neither dog consistently behaves in the ways we’d prefer and I frequently worry about their interactions with other dogs and people.  After a recent visit to the veterinarian wherein Jolene had to be restrained and muzzled to allow for examination we knew we had to do something. I have often seen other people out and about with well-behaved dogs and it seems like magic to me...

  This year has been a whirlwind of activity so far. We’ve carved out several weekends for travel- to Los Angeles, New York City (twice), New Orleans, Barcelona via Paris and Amsterdam. Each trip had a very different feel both because of the variety of scenery/activities and  because each time we traveled with different friends. I will write more on the trips in a later post. Have much to write about the good things going on at work also but that too will have to wait. This morning’s post is all about Jolene. This is Jolene (we will call her Lena affectionately). Jolene is a three month old retriever mix (perhaps with Corgi) that we adopted from the same local animal shelter where we found Julia 6 years ago. She has to remain at the shelter while she completes all her pre-adoption tasks this week (shots, medical screening, spaying) and we will be bringing her home to major fanfare on Friday, April 13th. Hubby and I are both so excited to have a new furry ball of joy to l...

RIP Jenna "Piranha Mama" Parks December 1996 - September 2011 Jenna. My beloved Jenna. You have been a part of my life since I was 20. Since Jon and were in our first year of marriage. Nearly every meaningful memory of the past 15 years is intertwined with your presence. When I broke my leg that cold Valentine’s day (a month and a day before my 21st birthday) as I raced up to my parents home barefoot with you in my arms (which you went sailing out of when I slipped on the ice and the audible crack of my bone could be heard) it was you, first on the scene, to lick my tears away and bring me comfort. When I packed everything I owned into my car, said goodbye to my husband and set off for a new life in New York, it was you by my side in the car as my companion in adventure. When we reached NY and were forced out of the only place we had to live, it was you and I against the big cruel world and I remember the promise I made to you through tears: I would never let anyo...

From Zechariah Chapter 1, verse 4: ‘ Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty .’ I read this verse last night (I’m making my way through Zechariah) and it really jumped right off the page at me. After everything God’s people had done to each other and to him he extended this invitation. They murdered, they blasphemed, they lied, they cheated, they worshipped idols and turned their backs on God stubbornly. And yet, God wanted them to know it was as simply as turning back to him and he would respond with love. It’s the most beautiful love story. Aside from reading scripture verses that get me emotional, I’ve been filling my time as of late with work, exercise, and trying to manage my very hectic to-do list. The government contract of my primary employer’s ends at the conclusion of this month, so there is a lot of tasks to be completed related to that, e...

The hubby and I are pet/house sitting this week for my best friend. What an adventure. Her dog and our youngest dog Julia are thick as thieves. They run, play, jump, and romp together with boundless energy. Proving the nocturnal nature of dogs, they stayed up all night long last night [our first here] playing and making a rowdy ruckus through the house. Needless to say the humans did not get a lot of sleep! Then the dogs slept all afternoon, storing up their energy for what is sure to be a second night of shenanigans. Also, you've never seen anything till you've seen one double bed fit 2 adults, one 80 pound dog, one 50 pound dog, and one 30 pound dog. Talk about crowded!